# cut the cap when dry boxing?



## GoodFella (Nov 3, 2007)

i never cut the cap off of my cigars when dry boxing. do u see any reason to not cut it off. to me it seems that if i cut the cap off i can dry box it a little faster. any pros/cons about this would be nice:ss


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## elderboy02 (Jun 24, 2008)

Good question. I have never dry boxed before, but I am wondering this as well.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

GoodFella said:


> i never cut the cap off of my cigars when dry boxing. do u see any reason to not cut it off. to me it seems that if i cut the cap off i can dry box it a little faster. any pros/cons about this would be nice:ss


 What are you dry boxing the cigars for? I am not familiar with this method.


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## wij (May 25, 2006)

scottw said:


> What are you dry boxing the cigars for? I am not familiar with this method.


Neither was Monica Lewinski.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

wij said:


> Neither was Monica Lewinski.


I heard there was nothing dry about her box, no wonder.


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

I de-humidify the room where the cigars are located so I don't have to dry box. I do usually get them out about an hour before I smoke them but that is because I am stupid and think it makes a difference for the stick to adjust to the smoking environment.

I don't like the idea of cutting the cap. It seems like if you dry boxed for a long period of time you are drying an area that should be more moist. Maybe it doesn't make a difference, I dunno.


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## Twill413 (Jul 19, 2006)

scottw said:


> What are you dry boxing the cigars for? I am not familiar with this method.


Mostly to bring the humidity down in certain cigars. Some store at 65+, and like to smoke at 60ish RH, me included. Cigars tend to smoke a little straigher, and IMO taste a bit better at a lower humidity. As always, YMMV.

I don't know about pros/cons to clipping, other than having a clipped cigar should you not end up smoking it. I have a clipped anejo just chilling in the humi, but it doesn't bother me. Just not completely aesthetically pleasing. I guess having two open ends rather than one might speed up acclimation more quickly.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

Twill413 said:


> Mostly to bring the humidity down in certain cigars. Some store at 65+, and like to smoke at 60ish RH, me included. Cigars tend to smoke a little straigher, and IMO taste a bit better at a lower humidity. As always, YMMV.
> 
> I don't know about pros/cons to clipping, other than having a clipped cigar should you not end up smoking it. I have a clipped anejo just chilling in the humi, but it doesn't bother me. Just not completely aesthetically pleasing. I guess having two open ends rather than one might speed up acclimation more quickly.


Interesting, thank you for the explanation. Would you do this in a humidor with the humidification unit out of it but the hygrometer in or do you have another method for preventing "overdrying" below 60 RH? I also read that in the past, people from overseas would have their cigars dried a bit so they would weigh less when shipped. Guessing this is the same method.


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## Rolando (Jul 17, 2008)

In the summer when the humidity runs higher a humidor can be on the high side of of what you like to smoke.


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2


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## cre8v1 (Dec 5, 2006)

I don't typically clip cigars in order to dry box them but I have clipped a cigar, found the draw to be a bit tight, and then chosen to dry box it to see if it will help. In most instances as far as my experience goes dry boxing a clipped, tight drawing cigar has helped. :2


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## jkim05 (Feb 26, 2007)

Yeah, clipping a cigar before dry boxing does not speed it up that much because the moisture is going through the cigar anyways as the tobacco is hygroscopic. However, storing a clipped cigar is not really negative in any way, as far as I know, so no reason not to clip and draw test prior to smoking. You can put it back if it won't draw, no point in trying to smoke a cigar that's plugged.


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## DBall (Jun 4, 2007)

bobarian said:


> I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2


I can't give you RG (too recent), but that is a damned awesome idea. It's crazy how ya don't think of obvious stuff until you hear someone else say it and realize how obvious it really is...

:sl


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## BigAl_SC (Jun 10, 2008)

Twill413 said:


> Mostly to bring the humidity down in certain cigars. Some store at 65+, and like to smoke at 60ish RH, me included. Cigars tend to smoke a little straigher, and IMO taste a bit better at a lower humidity. As always, YMMV.


I never fail to learn something that keeps me sliding down the slope....... This would be a great use of the first humi (50) if I didn't have the overflow in it.........


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## GoodFella (Nov 3, 2007)

a few days back some asked me how do i know i will want to smoke the certin cigar after dry boxing it. i guess if i am going to take the time to pick out a cigar and put it in my old humi to dry it out a little i will smoke it when i am ready. today was the first time i ever cliped a cigar before drying it out a little, the draw was a little tight before. since its a 98 boli i dont want to waist it. i use a 50ct humi with 1oz of dry beads in it. before i just put cigars in it with no beads and found out that the humi ended up holding a RH of 60%-65% after 2 months of doing this, so i added the dry beads.


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## zmancbr (Nov 20, 2007)

bobarian said:


> I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2


:tpd:

I love my smokes at 65% and I keep it within 1% of that pretty much all the time with my nifty Hydra. I heard of a technique to use for tight draw cigars and I will probably start using it.

It goes like this, when it is tight... take a 3/32 drill bit or something small and drill a tiny bit of the filler out. The drill bit will actually remove some of the filler but be careful about not cracking the wrapper.

After it has been drilled put it back in the humi and let it sit for a few days so the filler closes the hole and loosens the draw a bit. :tu

It isn't dry boxing but an alternative to it IMO.


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## sailchaser (Jun 16, 2007)

bobarian said:


> I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2


I keep one cooler 65% and 3 desk top humis ,2 at 65% and one for dry boxing smokes at 60%, beads are a must for me cause I am lazy and don't want to make a all day every day affair with having to keep my smokes were I like them.I never thought I would ever have a 60% humi until I got the advise from CHIP, he has swveral good posts on RH. As i say learn form the Elders in the Jungle it makes swing around here a lot easier:tu


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## zipa (May 24, 2008)

BigAl_SC said:


> This would be a great use of the first humi (50) if I didn't have the overflow in it.


Unless you live in a very humid (or very, very dry) climate, you don't need a box for this. Any old cigar box would do just fine, if you want to, or have to, use a box for some reason.


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## Darrell (Aug 12, 2007)

scottw said:


> I heard there was nothing dry about her box, no wonder.


HIYO! :r


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## Tristan (Jul 11, 2006)

jkim05 said:


> so no reason not to clip and draw test prior to smoking. You can put it back if it won't draw, no point in trying to smoke a cigar that's plugged.


:tpd:

I find that with certain cigars from certain boxes where I've experienced draw issues that dry boxing for a few days really helps with the draw. I also find value in clipping and draw testing these cigars. If they are plugged I'll put them back in the humi for a few months and revisit.


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## icehog3 (Feb 20, 2005)

bobarian said:


> I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2


Spot on! :tu


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## TonySmith (Apr 25, 2007)

> I dont routinely dry box my sticks. I keep them at 65% and that is usually good for 98% of my smokes. However, I have gotten into the habit of taking a prelight draw after cutting. If its very tight I will put it back in the humi and let it rest for a few days or until I am in the mood to try that smoke again. :2





icehog3 said:


> Spot on! :tu


:tpd:

Back to the question of cuttting off the caps. Since it keeps the wrapper secure, would it wise to cut it off, before preparing to smoke the cigar?


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## icehog3 (Feb 20, 2005)

TonySmith said:


> :tpd:
> 
> Back to the question of cuttting off the caps. Since it keeps the wrapper secure, would it wise to cut it off, before preparing to smoke the cigar?


I basically shave off the top of the cap with my Palio, so I don't have any worries. I guess a deep cut that included the whole cap might potentially cause a problem if you dry-boxed too long, but that is only a guess.


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## TonySmith (Apr 25, 2007)

icehog3 said:


> I basically shave off the top of the cap with my Palio, so I don't have any worries. I guess a deep cut that included the whole cap might potentially cause a problem if you dry-boxed too long, but that is only a guess.


Yeah, who knows unless you do it. 
In Houston this time of year when you take a cigar out of the humidor, it's more like a 'wet box'.


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## BamBam (Feb 24, 2008)

Well...one pro to cutting the cap b4 dry boxing is so you can test the draw and even see if you need to dry boix. Also will let you know when they're ready to smoke :tu


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